Shaft-loop



(Modem r J. WAGNER.

' I SHAFT LOOP. No. 270,161. Patentad Jan. 2, 1883.

ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES N, PETERS. PholuLithngmphur. Wflshvng c.

' UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS WAGNER, 0F READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHAFT-LOOP.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,161, dated January 2, 1883, Application filed October 16, 1882. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS WAGNER, of Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Shaft-Loop, of which'the following is a tull, clear,and exact description.

The dbject of my invention is to provide a new and improved shaft-loop in which the thills or shafts can move freely without nudue friction and without chafing the animal.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a frontelevation of my improved shaft-loop. same. Fig. 3 is a view of the detached U- shaped metal frame B, with" its collar, strapconnection, and upwardly-projecting perforated tongues, adapted to be applied to old and .worn shalt-loops, as hereinafter described.

A horizontal anti-friction roller, A, is journaled in a U-shaped frame, B, which has the upper .ends of its shanks attached to the lower ends offa U-shaped leather loop, 0,

t which is suspended by means of a strap, D,

from a harness-saddle, E, in the usual manner. The lower end of the U-shaped frame B is connected, by means of a strap, F, and a loop, I pivoted tot-hebottom ofthe U-shaped frame B, with the belly-band G. If a shaft passes through the shaft-loop, the said shaft will rest on the roller A, and undue friction of the shaft on the shalt-loop will he avoided. a

The shaft-loops of a harness are generally rocked forward and backward by the movement of the thills or shatts in the said loops,

and this rocking movement of the shaft-loop chafes and blisters the sides of the animal. This rocking movement isavoided if the roller A'is provided, for the forward and backward movement of the shafts rotates the rollerA forward and backward, but cannot rock the -10ops,as-all the movement ofth'e shafts is taken up by the said roller. "The said roller A can bemaddcylindrical or concave, and can be made of hard or soft rubber, or any other suitable material which can be covered with leather, rubber, cloth, or other soft ma- 18 of great importance,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the 'terial. It is preferably made of soft rubber,

so that when the shafts rock up and down the shock produced will be taken up by the rubber roller and will not injure the animal. This especially in twowheeled carts, where the vertical rocking motion of the shafts is quite considerable, and it continued any length of time wouldhave an injurious effect on the animal.

I am aware of the fact that friction-rollers have been placed in various positions in a shaftloop, and I do not claim such, broadly. My special construction and arrangement of parts, however, present very great advantages,for by makingthe loo'pwith an inverted- U-shaped leather portion, U, and a U-shaped metal portion, B, and placing the roller in the metalportion, with its axis in horizontal position, the roller fits nicely under the shoulder of the pendent ends oftheleather portion to close in the shaft, and the roller cannot be clogged by accumulation of dirt, &c. The most important advantage, perhaps, that my invention possesses is, however, the factthat it permits me to take old partially worn-out shaft-loops, which are only worn atthe bottom, and cut off the lower half of them, and then rivet to the lower ends of the remaining portions the upper ends of the-U-shaped metal portions. This, it will be seen, permits me to utilize old shaft-loopsthat are practically worn out and useless and refit them-perfectly with my invention, with only the cost of the'nietal frame and its roller, and the same rivet serves to hold together the two layers of leather of the shaft-loop and to connect it to the perforated end of the U-shaped roller-frame.

I claim- As an improved article of manufacture, the U-shaped metal frame B, havinghorizontal roller A and strap-connection .l ",'and provided ,with upwardly-prtjecting perforated tongues, adapted to be applied substantially as described.

JULIUS WAGNER.

Witnesses:

- J. P. KREMP,

L. KREMP. 

